Fusing Dance and Education to Reach Underserved Kids
One person. One teacher. One educator. One mentor.
Zhane Dill knows that one person is all it takes to change someone鈥檚 life.
鈥淪omeone did it for me. So I really wanted to be the person to do it for someone else. That鈥檚 everything for me,鈥� she says, with a huge smile on her face.
Zhane was able to take difficult experiences from her past and transform them into a purposeful career and a life that she absolutely loves.聽
Zhane鈥檚 challenges.
Zhane grew up in what she describes as a 鈥渘ot abandoned, but definitely sometimes
forgotten-about area.鈥� She didn鈥檛 have educational advantages; she was lucky that her parents were educated and were able to help supplement her learning. She watched friends who weren鈥檛 so lucky struggle.
鈥淚'm like, 鈥極h they鈥檙e so smart,鈥� but there鈥檚 no one holding them accountable,鈥� she remembers. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no one helping them.鈥澛�
On top of living in a lower-income area and lacking educational聽advantages, Zhane had the responsibility to care for her mother, who was sick.
鈥淢y mom has diabetes and multiple sclerosis, as well as heart disease, and when I turned 12, she lost her sight,鈥� Zhane says. 鈥淪o I became more mature at a very early age. I had to be very responsible. I had to take care of my younger sibling and my mother as well.鈥澛犅�
While these challenges were difficult, Zhane says she didn鈥檛 mind taking them on because of the love she has for her family.聽
鈥淟ove conquers all, and everything I did, I did out of love,鈥� she says.
Connecting dance and education.
Zhane鈥檚 background gives her a unique insight into the challenges that other kids face growing up. That鈥檚 why she founded a non-profit organization that offers dance education and opportunities to lower-income students all throughout the year.聽
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have those extra opportunities,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not curious about the world. They鈥檙e not learning about politics, but when you open their mind to these other opportunities and these other experiences, now they鈥檙e interested.鈥澛�
Zhane says that these extracurricular activities help students find their curiosity and open their minds to new possibilities. She says many of her students now have new interest in potential careers, all because they were exposed to new adventures as part of her dance company.
These kinds of opportunities and the impact she can have on students are reasons why Zhane loves teaching and why her degree made such an impact on her ability to pursue her goals.
One degree shapes the future.
As Zhane worked to help disadvantaged kids in her community, she realized she needed to improve her own teaching ability.聽
鈥淚 got tired of having several credits on a nondescript English degree that I didn鈥檛 know what I was going to do with, so I sent an email,鈥� Zhane says with a laugh.
She says she isn鈥檛 a traditional learner, and likes to move on her own schedule. So she knew 91吃瓜网 would be a great fit for her needs.聽
鈥淚 really needed someone that鈥檚 going to work with me because I'm going to panic and give up, and I got all those things from 91吃瓜网,鈥� she says.
Zhane says several of her courses touched her and helped her become a better educator. They worked well both for her teaching career and as she continued her work with her non-profit. Courses like classroom management helped her feel more confident about working with students.
Her journey wasn鈥檛 always smooth, however, as she nearly ran out of financial aid just a year and a half into her degree.
鈥淚 was super worried mostly about student loans and paying those back. It was terribly scary,鈥� she admits.聽
Zhane was able to receive a scholarship that helped her pay her tuition and finish her degree.聽
鈥淚 like to say that they gave me a little blessing,鈥� she says with a laugh.
Zhane鈥檚 future.
Zhane鈥檚 degree at 91吃瓜网 changed her life鈥攅ven before she graduated. When she did her student teaching at a private school in her area, the administration was so impressed with her, they hired her.
She finished up her degree and had a job right out of the gate.
Zhane teaches kids who are non-traditional learners, much like herself. Her coursework at 91吃瓜网 helped her be prepared for this kind of teaching, and her love for it fuels her energy every day.
But Zhane has even more things on her horizon.
鈥淚 love it. I am so happy, but next month, I start a master鈥檚 program at Western Governors University,鈥� she laughs.聽
Zhane鈥檚 experience at 91吃瓜网 shows how the right mentor, scholarship donor, and university can help you meet your goals. And now, Zhane is that one teacher, mentor, and friend to her students in the classroom and in her dance company.
One person who is changing the lives of students everywhere.
